What is Linkbait?

Linkbait is one of the great terms on the search engine optimization front. Linkbaiting in general is a bunch of practices used by website owners for getting more links directed at their pages to receive a better reputation from search engines. It is the art of getting people to talk about your site and content in their blogs, blog posts, bookmarks, social media links, their sites...etc. in order to get a buzz going about what you are offering. Linkbaiting often involves using hooks. There are many types of hooks which can be used: resource, opposing (or contrary), attack, news, and my favorite, humor.

With the resource hook, it is the giving of some knowledge, tool or experience to the public in which they find some value and can pass onto someone else. This includes some expert opinions, blogs on your niche or a widget that can be used to aid in a task. What you are reading right now could be considered a resource hook.

Opposing hooks involves telling other bloggers or companies how they are wrong. This often generates a link in the retaliation by the defamed party. You will get the "(your link) said my article was off base and this, my friend, is why I am right and YOU are wrong!"

You might get a similar response from the attack hook. Attacks are used when you know another site's weak spot and how to get to them in a way that makes them so mad that they have to link to your site just to bash back. it is similar to the opposing hook but is usually a lot more derogatory. But BE CAREFUL!!! This hook could backfire and land you and your site up a crappy creek with de-linking by some of the other sites who were linking to you.

The news hook is pretty self explanatory. It regards posts of the latest news and going ons in the world today. This hook could be the rehashing or grouping of recent publications or even local happenings. A great news hook is the exploitation of fraudulent or mis-representative articles.

Aaaaaaah the humor hook, the reason why I have linked to so many funny sites and will continue to do so. Funny is viral! It is the best thing out there you can use to get your site seen. Whether it is a joke, a video of your cat falling on its butt or a father getting hit in the groin, funny keeps on getting the most links and will continue to do so for as long as the net is around.